Ben Affleck‘s been involved with an adaptation of Dennis Lehane‘sLive by Nightfor almost four years, but in the time since his signing, was cast as Batman for at least three movies that have either come out, are currently shooting, or have had their development made a matter of public record — and one of which he’ll be writing and directing. The director’s Argo follow-up has been a long time (i.e. basically an entire Presidential term) coming, which makes its having nearly been completed a pleasant surprise. Ahead of a release this winter, Warner Bros. have debuted the first trailer.

You want old-timey crime-committing? You want some Boston accents? You seek a doomed romance, yes? Affleck seems to have your interests in mind, which doesn’t even account for Live by Night‘s fine cast — Brendan Gleeson, Elle Fanning, Zoe Saldana, Titus Welliver, Sienna Miller et al. I haven’t been too hot on anything Affleck’s made since Gone Baby Gone (i.e. two-thirds of his filmography), so a change of pace — something a bit dirtier, funnier, with sharper teeth; something a bit more Lehane, I guess is what I’m saying — might be just right.

Watch the preview below:

Oscar winner Ben Affleck (“Argo”) directed and stars in the dramatic crime thriller “Live by Night.” Affleck also wrote the screenplay based on the award-winning best-seller by Dennis Lehane, marking the second collaboration for the fellow Boston natives, following the acclaimed drama “Gone Baby Gone.”

“Live by Night” is set in the roaring `20s when Prohibition hasn’t stopped the flow of booze in an underground network of gangster-run speakeasies. The opportunity to gain power and money is there for any man with enough ambition and nerve and Joe Coughlin, the son of the Boston Police Superintendent, long ago turned his back on his strict upbringing for the spoils of being an outlaw. But even among criminals there are rules and Joe breaks a big one: crossing a powerful mob boss by stealing his money and his moll. The fiery affair ends in tragedy, setting Joe on a path of revenge, ambition, romance and betrayal that propels him out of Boston and up the ladder of Tampa’s steamy rum-running underworld.

Live by Night will open in limited release on December 25 and wide release on January 13, 2017.